Local Lib Dem MP, Norman Baker, has today called on Lewes District Council to stop Tesco's attempts to massively expand their Lewes store in light of today's announcement by the Competition Commission that the supermarket's dominant position in the groceries' sector could be damaging consumer interests and undermining healthy competition.
The Competition Commission's emerging thinking document, published today, confirms that the next stage of their investigation into competitive practices in the groceries' sector will focus on local markets and, in particular, the nature of competition between retailers of different sizes such as large supermarkets and independent grocery and convenience stores.
This development comes in the wake of both Mr Baker's parliamentary question last week in which he quizzed the Minister over what action the Government is taking to rectify the current trend of supermarket dominance and plans by Tesco to hugely increase the size of their Lewes store in order to expand into the non-groceries sector.
Commenting, Mr Baker said:
"It is certainly not for nothing that the word 'Tescopoly' has entered the English language, so I am encouraged to see that the Commission's emerging thinking has identified a strong indication of anti-competitive practices in the UK grocery market and that they will be looking closely at the situation at a local level.
"Common tactics used by the big supermarkets such as below cost selling and applying undue pressure on suppliers are not only damaging to local farmers, who get an increasingly raw deal in terms of the price they receive for produce, but are also frequently targeted at independent retailers in a very predatory way which all too often leads to the closure of traditional, local shops. These kinds of unscrupulous and anti-competitive practices have had a profound effect on the identity of many small towns and the Commission needs to take action to stop them. I do not want to see Lewes turn into a 'Tesco-town' which is why I am calling on the local council to reject the latest application by the supermarket to massively expand their Lewes store."
|Home
Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
Printed and hosted by Pipex Communications UK Ltd, Humber Buildings, Humber Rd, Beeston, Notts, NG9 2ET. Published and promoted by Norman Baker MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 1AA. The views expressed are those of Norman Baker, not of the service provider.
